When you're hard up for an extra set of hands to help you reach knots in your shoulders and back, the BodyBack Buddy is there for you. Originally introduced to the benefits of deep tissue trigger point massage by my wife, whose tiny hands are deceptively vice-like, I found myself wishing I had a way to create the same effect when I was on my own during the work day. Thus the purchase of the BodyBack Buddy, a tool that looks like the spawn of an unholy union between a Klingon battle blade and an injection-molding machine. The Buddy turned out to be a surprisingly effective tool for relieving muscle tension without a masseuse on hand. What principle does it act on and why is it effective? From the BodyBack Buddy web site:

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Trigger points develop from either stress, repetitive or overuse of a muscle, trauma or accident, structural imbalance, improper stretching or no stretching before physical activity. When a muscle is overused or injured a contraction develops and knots occur. These knots develop when individual muscle fibers are over-stimulated and unable to release their contracted state. This contraction reduces blood flow resulting in a diminished supply of oxygen and a build up of metabolic waste. The contracted muscle (trigger point) reacts by sending out signals of pain.

While you could take a chunky magic marker and press it into the trigger points in your shoulders, the BodyBack Buddy acts as a multiplier, allowing you to exert very little effort to get a deep and steady pressure. Fifteen seconds or so with the Buddy focused on a trigger point and the muscles are noticeably looser and less achy. The BodyBack Buddy is a $35 muscle massaging tool.